Harajuku Heaven

Tokyo is undoubtedly one of the fashion capitals of the world. Before the uprise of other Asian fashion capitals, Tokyo was the first to set it’s own unique style and have conceived many famous designers and brands even up till now.
Tokyo is full of hot spots, each with a fashion speciality that will spoil the avid shopper and fashionista. I went one Sunday afternoon to check out Harajuku. Harajuku is famous of it’s over top fashion led by Tokyo’s trendy youth with famous styles such as Harajuku girl, the Goth-Lolita and cosplay gatherings.

The main shopping street is Takeshita-dori or Takeshita Road. The fashion seen down this busy avenue did not disappoint. Now be warned, Tokyo is super expensive. I promised myself to behave and only buy things that were really unique and I knew I could not find anywhere else! It was hard with all those cool little shops beckoning me to come inside and see their brightly coloured wares!

In Tokyo, everything is expensive. There are many little stores of the sides of Takeshita street that had many bargain sales and those were worth looking out for. Takeshita street leads to more little streets with quaint cafes and more boutiques. All the main stores form international retailers to designer brands can be found along the avenues. cool architecture and interiors dominate this area and are def worth checking out.

Like Korea, Japan also have their local produced goods that are sold from the factories and some stores sell those items for way too much. Especially, in a tourist destination such as Harajuku. I found all of my goodies at the bigger stores in the street, the more prominent looking retails stores sold the same items for way much cheaper. I refused to buy any clothing item that was more than $20.

Metro ticket machine!

However, don’t deprive yourself from a bit of shopping indulgence, but make sure it’s something worth it and can be found no where else and set a budget and stick to it. Public transport is uber expensive there and there is a lot to see and do in Tokyo city than blow all your cash on shopping!

Nearby the station exit across the road there is a beautiful park which houses a quaint little temple. The park is super busy on a weekend, especially in Spring and summer, but it has a really relaxed vibe.
The temple is def worth a look too, in fact we saw a traditional Japanese wedding take place right there.

Travel Tips:

Harajuku is best visited on Sunday, especially if you want to see all the cosplay and crazy fashion.

The budget goods can be found in stores underground in Takeshita Street, and if you want more unique one of a kind items then Harajuku street houses various department stores of Japanese brands.

Wear comfy shoes, you’ll still be walking around.

At the back of Harajuku Street, there are many quiet cafes to get a quick drink and relax.